The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway. To help you stay up-to-date on news, game schedules, roster updates and more, Just Women’s Sports has created this World Cup hub. Make sure to bookmark this page so you can keep tabs on the latest news and updates from Australia and New Zealand.

Latest World Cup News

July 23, 2023:

• USWNT rookies, led by Sophia Smith, shook off nerves in World Cup opener
• Dramatic last-minute winner propels Sweden over South Africa: World Cup digest

July 22, 2023:

• World Cup digest: England escapes with 1-0 win in opener
• New Zealand team evacuates World Cup hotel due to fire
• Tobin Heath: USWNT ‘has a massive question mark’ at World Cup
• Vlatko Andonovski won’t commit to Julie Ertz at center-back
• USWNT enters a new era: This is Sophia Smith’s World Cup
• Sophia Smith honors Katie Meyer with USWNT goal celebration
• USWNT faces World Cup lineup questions after Vietnam game
• Alex Morgan laments missed chances: ‘It wasn’t a good penalty’
• Rose Lavelle plays for first time in three months in World Cup opener
• USWNT vs. Vietnam: Sophia Smith notches historic brace in World Cup debut
• USWNT goals tracker: Every World Cup goal from every player

July 21, 2023:

• Midge Purce defends lopsided World Cup scorelines ahead of USWNT opener
• Why Alana Cook picked the USWNT over England: ‘This is home’
• USWNT provides injury updates for Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle
• Christine Sinclair’s miss underscores penalty kick trend
• USWNT schedule: Breaking down 2023 World Cup group stage

July 20, 2023:

• How much will the USMNT make off the USWNT World Cup run?
• World Cup title contenders: Why they’ll win and why they won’t
• Jill Ellis, Christen Press and Tobin Heath debate USWNT starting lineup
• Lynn Williams: ‘Devastating’ shooting puts World Cup in perspective
• Ali Riley shows her emotion after New Zealand’s first World Cup win
• Australia’s Sam Kerr misses opening win for host country

July 19, 2023:

• World Cup all-time leading goal scorers: Marta reins supreme

How to Watch the 2023 World Cup

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup began on July 20 and runs through August 20. A complete tournament schedule can be found here.

WWC Scouting Reports

• USWNT vs. Vietnam
• USWNT vs. Portugal
• USWNT vs. Netherlands
• USWNT vs. England
• USWNT vs. Sweden
• USWNT vs. Japan
• USWNT vs. Italy

Who made the 2023 U.S. World Cup roster?

Here is the U.S. Soccer roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup:

Goalkeepers (3)

• Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit)
• Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
• Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (7)

• Alana Cook (OL Reign)
• Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC)
• Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)
• Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC)
• Sofia Huerta (OL Reign)
• Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC)
• Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders (7)

• Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC)
• Julie Ertz (Angel City FC)
• Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
• Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC)
• Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit)
• Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards (6)

• Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC)
• Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
• Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
• Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC)
• Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
• Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

If you want to learn more about the 23 players who made the USWNT by experience level or their NWSL team, we’ve got you covered:

• Meet the 23-player USWNT roster
• Team-by-team breakdown of the NWSL players competing at the World Cup
• Get to know the 14 USWNT players making their World Cup debuts

What about WWC rosters for the rest of the world?

• Links to all 32 World Cup squads

Which USA players are missing the Women’s World Cup?

Injuries have sidelined quite a few players from this summer’s tournament, while other athletes have fallen out of favor with the national teams since the 2019 World Cup. Here are a few resources on the topic:

• 2023 Women’s World Cup: Injury tracker
• 2019 vs. 2023 USWNT World Cup roster
• Where is Becky Sauerbrunn?
• Where is Christen Press?
• Where is Mallory Swanson?
• Where is Tobin Heath?
• Where is Catarina Macario?
• Where is Sam Mewis?

Who are the USWNT captains?

With Becky Sauerbrunn absent due to injury, U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski selected Lindsey Horan and Alex Morgan to serve as co-captains. Read more about their selection here.

For the latest news and analysis, follow our dedicate homepages for the USWNT and the Women’s World Cup.

2023 Women’s World Cup Groups and Tournament Format

The Women’s World Cup field expanded from 24 teams to 32 teams for 2023. The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four:

• Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
• Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
• Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
• Group D: England, Denmark, China, Haiti
• Group E: United States, Netherlands, Portugal, Vietnam
• Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
• Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
• Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea

The top two teams from each group will advance to a 16-team bracket for the knockout rounds. More information about the tournament format and tie breaking procedures can be found here.

The 2025 Canadian Open wrapped up with a storybook ending in Montréal, as 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko earned her first-ever WTA Tour title by defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.

"I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament," Mboko said after battling back to take down Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. "It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem]."

The largely unexpected final matchup capped a 2025 Canadian Open that saw every seeded player fall, with Mboko putting together a dream run that included ousting four Grand Slam champions — Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.

Thursday saw Mboko become just the third-ever Canadian to win the event, plus the teen phenom made tennis history as only the third wild-card entrant to ever claim victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.

As for Osaka, despite falling just short of the finish line, the 2025 Canadian Open was a distinct return to form for the fan favorite, who put together her most successful tournament run in three years in Montréal this week.

Both finalists earned a significant rankings bump with their performances this week, with Osaka rising to world No. 25 while Mboko, who started the 2025 season outside the WTA's Top 350, skyrocketed to No. 24.

Having withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open due to the near-impossible turnaround between Thursday's final in Montréal and their Saturday matches in Ohio, both Mboko and Osaka will enjoy some much-deserved rest before gearing up for the season's final Grand Slam — the 2025 US Open.

Thursday's WNBA trade deadline came and went with one final flurry of activity, as the No. 10 Washington Mystics leaned all the way into their rebuild by sending 2024 No. 6 draft pick Aaliyah Edwards to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

"Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move.... Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture," Sun GM Morgan Tuck said in a statement. "Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we're ready to build that future together."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

In return for Edwards, Connecticut sent 2024 No. 5 draft pick Jacy Sheldon to the Mystics, with Washington also receiving the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026 WNBA Draft in the trade deal.

The move follows a Tuesday trade in which the Mystics offloaded their leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm in return for forward Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round draft pick.

While a few major midseason moves emerged this week, seven of the league's 13 teams decided to forego any trades, with No. 2 New York, No. 3 Atlanta, No. 4 Phoenix, No. 5 Indiana, No. 8 Golden State, No. 9 LA, and No. 11 Chicago holding their rosters steady in the final week of the transaction window.

In the new Prime docuseries Taurasi, retired USA and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi opened up about not playing any minutes in her sixth and final Olympic gold-medal game in Paris last summer.

Having won gold at five consecutive past Olympic Games, Taurasi made the 2024 Team USA roster at 42-years-old precisely because of her deep veteran experience on the international stage.

"I always felt like I deserved to be on the team," she said in the third episode of the three-part series. "It was my team for 20 years and I know how to get the job done."

"She's there to lead," fellow retired basketball icon Sue Bird — Taurasi's longtime friend and teammate in those first five Olympic outings — explained during the episode. "She's there to calm everyone down when s—t gets weird because s—t's gonna get weird. It always does."

While Taurasi played minutes off the bench throughout the tournament, she failed to step on the court during the USA's narrow one-point victory over France last August.

"She should have played, 100%. And to be honest, I don't know why they didn't play her," said Bird. "This was the game she was actually brought here for."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

"I'm confused by what happened," Taurasi acknowledged. "I never got [an explanation like], 'Hey, you're not going to play because we're going this direction.' Sounds good. I can live with that."

"Maybe it was just my time to get the raw end of the stick," she continued.

"I've done this five other times where I felt like I really earned it," Taurasi concluded. "This one was the one that doesn't belong."

How to watch the docuseries "Taurasi"

All three episodes of Taurasi are currently available to stream on Prime.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or nominations dropped on Thursday, and only two USWNT players earned nods on the 30-athlete shortlist for soccer's most prestigious individual honor.

US and Arsenal defender Emily Fox earned her first career nomination after the 27-year-old won 2024 Olympic gold with the USWNT and the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League with her club side.

With her third career Ballon d'Or nod, USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps joined Fox on Thursday's 2025 list after leading the US in Paris last summer and playing another strong season with OL Lyonnes.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

While the first half of 2025 has been admittedly quiet for USWNT without a major continental tournament on the docket this year — and many of the team's heavy hitters sidelined for various reasons — the Ballon d'Or's consideration timeframe includes their Olympic gold-medal run, making the team's lack of nods a bit head-scratching.

It's far from the first time that the award's shortlist has fallen short. Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe. Of the 30 2025 nominees, only six play for clubs outside of Europe — five of them in the NWSL.

Notably, only one US player has ever won the Ballon d'Or, with the 2019 trophy lifted by USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe.

Since then, Barcelona FC have maintained a stranglehold on the award, with midfielder Aitana Bonmatí's two straight wins following attacker Alexia Putellas's back-to-back reign.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

USWNT drop to No. 2 in world rankings

This week also saw the USWNT cede ground in the overall FIFA rankings, falling to world No. 2 as new No. 1 Spain claimed a narrow lead of less than two points with their 2025 Euro Final appearance.

Like the Ballon d'Or, Thursday's world ranks contained more than a few confusing shifts, with Brazil somehow falling three spots to No. 7 despite winning a fifth straight Copa América title last weekend, and England earning a mere one-spot rise to No. 4 after defeating Spain in last month's Euro.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees

Sandy Baltimore (Chelsea, France)
Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride, Zambia)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona, Spain)
Lucy Bronze (Chelsea, England)
Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal, Spain)
Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit, Italy)
Steph Catley (Arsenal, Australia)
Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes, Haiti)
Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi)
Emily Fox (Arsenal, US)
Cristiana Girelli (Juventus, Italy)
Esther González (Gotham FC, Spain)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona, Norway)
Hannah Hampton (Chelsea, England)
Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich, Denmark)
Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain)
Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras, Brazil)
Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, US)
Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, England)
Frida Maanum (Arsenal, Norway)
Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
Clara Mateo (Paris FC, France)
Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, Poland)
Clàudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England)
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea, Sweden)
Caroline Weir (Real Madrid, Scotland)
Leah Williamson (Arsenal, England)